by Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY Sports

by Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY Sports

WASHINGTON - As the seconds ticked off the game clock, the moment grew more and more bittersweet.

For Georgetown and coach John Thompson III, the sweet taste of a 61-39 victory over Syracuse combined with a shared Big East Conference regular season title and top seed in next week's conference tournament ultimately overwhelmed the bitterness that comes with the end of one of the sport's greatest rivalry. But it was hard to separate the two feelings.

"It's really special on many different levels," Thompson said. "I've been a head coach for 13 years, and this is my sixth regular-season championship. Right now, this one feels nicer than any of the rest of them.

"It's special because the Big East as we know it is ending. Georgetown won the first one, and now Georgetown's won the last. That means a lot."

From the back corner of the press room, a deep, quiet voice piped up. John Thompson Jr. â?? the man who'd led the Hoyas to that first Big East title â?? interrupted his son and added, "and (we) kiss Syracuse goodbye."

There is no love lost between these programs. Indeed, the this rivalry has been heated over the years â?? filled with mutual hatred and memorable moments â?? and it remained so in its final hours, even if a lopsided victory may not have been the most fitting way to finish. Georgetown guards Markel Starks and D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera accounted for 35 of the Hoyas' points, and national player of the year candidate Otto Porter added 10, plus eight rebounds and seven assists, to lead the rout.

Syracuse wobbled into halftime with a season-low 18 points, and by the time the final buzzer sounded and Georgetown students streamed onto the court to celebrate, the Orange had tallied their lowest point total in a game since 1962. The 22-point margin of victory was the most lopsided in the rivalry since 1985 â?? the Patrick Ewing era.

Not exactly the best two-hour summation of this series.

"It's been 30-plus-year rivalry, and it's been good," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. "It's had its ups and downs; one team seems to get a little bit on one then the next, two, three year later it switches back.

"It's been pretty competitive. This was probably one of the least competitive games â?? we've had a few like this but not too many. It's been a great rivalry from the first (year), and it really made both programs and help make the conference."

The two teams may play each other in the future (and they say they'd like to) but both sides acknowledge it will never be the same as when Georgetown and Syracuse were members of the same conference.

"I'm disappointed that there will be no more," said Patrick Ewing, who was sitting courtside. "Whatever they're doing with the Big East, I'm disappointed Syracuse is going to the ACC. But It's a business decision for them."

The elder Thompson agreed: "Underneath all of the happiness is a certain amount of sadness because you still want to play against them, you still want to be in the league with them."

His son had echoed those sentiments all week, but he had tried hard to reel in his emotions. Thompson III knew Saturday would be full of nostalgia. He knew that would happen again next week at the upcoming Big East Tournament, the final chapter of a storied league.

His players, too, knew what was within their grasp; they knew to remain focused. But after clinching a share of the league's regular season title (with Louisville and Marquette) but earning the top tournament seed because of head-to-head results, Thompson and the rest of his Georgetown team embraced the moment.

It's a delicate balancing act, winning a regular-season championship. You're cutting down nets and celebrating when your student section storms the court â?? but your most important basketball remains ahead of you. So you allow yourself to get high, but not too high.

"Let me say this, so not to cloud anything: This season is not over," Thompson said. "We hope to go to New York and play well and also play well in the NCAA tournament."

The seeds for Saturday's celebration were planted nearly a year go.

After last season ended with a crushing loss to No. 11 seed North Carolina State, Thompson gathered his players and told them he expected them to win the Big East this year. He told them that again after they started league play 0-2. The players listened; Porter said they simply re-focused and adjusted.

Georgetown's defense tightened. Porter became a more dynamic part of the offense. After losing their three leading scorers in the offseason and key starter in January due to ineligibility, these Hoyas proved their resilience â?? and, more importantly, their place among the nation's elite teams.

For the first time in a long time, Thompson wasn't nervous the night before a big game. He slept soundly throughout the night, the restful sleep a coach only gets when he feels his team has prepared the best it could for a challenge.

"These guys understand the history of Georgetown basketball and the tradition," Thompson said. "They were ready to play. It's an emotional day, an emotional game, because of everything that was at stake. It's emotional on many levels. ... They understood that."